Molecularly Programmed Helical Assembly of Conjugated Polymers by Supramolecular Chiral Transfer

Abstract

Helical nanostructures formed of the conjugated polymer can have circularly polarized light detection capability, which has created considerable interest in optronic device applications related to the security of optical communications and optical information processing. Molecular programming of dimension and length scale is greatly demanded to form precisely controlled helical nanostructures. However, the formation of hierarchical helical nanostructures capable of polarization switching has not been achieved yet. Herein, we reported a hierarchical helical arrangement formed using a template of conjugated polymer nanowires. Chirality transfer was induced by using chiral additives that can control helicity. The amplified chirality through the sergeant-soldier effect was confirmed through circular dichroism spectroscopy measurement. This research can provide a facile strategy for the formation of helical nanowires.